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Vegetarians and vegans alike can soon prepare to enjoy food from Burger King aside from the salads. A collaboration between the company Impossible Foods and Burger King is soon to hit the market in the form of the Impossible Whopper, which is said to taste just like real meat. According to Eric Bohl, the director of public affairs for the Missouri Farm Bureau,“If I didn’t know what I was eating, I would have no idea it was not beef.” So what gives with this new burger, and why does it have such acclaimed reviews?

In order to answer the questions behind the burger, one must first look at the company behind it. Impossible Foods debuted as a startup company in 2011 with the aim of providing a substitute to meats that would allow vegetarians and vegans to eat meat-like foods. Their signature product is the Impossible Burger, which leads to the new Whopper that is going to be arriving at Burger King locations around the country in the near future. The secret behind the successful taste tests lies in the ingredients that make up the burgers: soy leghemoglobin (also known as heme), which according to Impossible Foods is “an iron-containing molecule that essential for life…it’s what makes meat taste like meat.”

Burger King plans to release the burger to all restaurants across the country by the end of 2019. According to the company, locations where the burger was piloted experienced a growth in sales as a result in a new market being able to enjoy the food. The decision to expand the locations was made in late April, feuling excitement for the new menu item throughout the United States. No news has been given yet on the expansion to Burger King locations outside of the United States.

Personally, I’m excited for the Impossible Whopper to reach this end of the country. Seeing a substitute for meat in such an iconic meal from Burger King shows that companies are willing to change in order to meet the demands of the people, which currently involves helping the environment by steering away from factory farming and going vegetarian or vegan. The lack of ability for people to distinguish the meatless Whopper from a “real” one shows just how much of an impact the burger could have. We’ll just have to wait and see what else Impossible Foods comes out with.